2015 ended with a decline in violence in Iraq, but that trend has
not continued into the new year. The first two weeks of 2016 have been
characterized by intense fighting across Iraq. The government’s forces were
still clearing out Islamic State pockets from the Ramadi area with clashes in
other parts of Anbar. IS hit Baghdad and Diyala with several car bombs. One set
off a rampage by the Hashd al-Shaabi in Muqtadiya against local Sunnis. There
was also a large number of insurgent attacks in Salahaddin, while IS’s winter
offensive appeared to be puttering out in Ninewa.
There were 140 attacks in Iraq during the second week of January.
That was slightly down from the previous week’s 150. Baghdad led the country
with 53 incidents with 28 more in Salahaddin, 22 in Diyala, 14 in Anbar and
Ninewa each, 5 in Babil, 2 in Kirkuk, and one each in Basra and Irbil. There
are always more attacks then get reported in the press.
408 people were killed from January 8-14 with 417 injured. 3
Sahwa, 11 Peshmerga, 17 Hashd al-Shaabi, 120 members of the Iraqi Security
Forces (ISF), and 257 civilians were killed, and 7 Sahwa, 26 Hashd, 53 ISF, and
331 civilians were wounded. Ninewa had the most fatalities with 214 due to a
large number of IS executions. There were another 80 dead in Baghdad, 56 in
Diyala, 38 in Salahaddin, 10 in Anbar, 9 in Babil, and 1 in Kirkuk. Casualties
are heavily underreported due to government censorship.
Anbar dominated the headlines in Iraq with the operation in
Ramadi. On January 9, 100% of central
Ramadi was declared cleared. Several new areas of the city were reached
including Malab, Marif College, the Security and Electricity Departments, and 40th Street in the eastern
section. New towns in the suburbs were attacked as well including Albu Alwan, Sufiya, Sajariya, Albu Aetha, Albu Ghanam, Sura, and Albu Soda. Many of those
the security forces had already gone through before. Albu Alwan for example was
declared cleared at the end of December and then again
at the start of January, and then a
third time on January 10. Government propaganda was also clouding the
situation. Sufiya for example was said to be cleared on January 3, January 7, and January 10,
only to have the security forces call on all the residents to leave the area on
January 11 for another
impending operation there. It didn’t appear that the Iraqi forces entered major
parts of Sufiya until January 13. Similar circumstances
surrounded Albu Aetha and Albu Ghanam that were called
freed in August. The Anbar operations command would later state that they
hadn’t even reached Albu Athea until October and the day
after Albu Ghanam was called liberated it was announced that IS was still in half the town. Despite the
obfuscations major parts of Ramadi and its surroundings are being freed.
IS main response to the fall of downtown Ramadi was to continue to
carry out counter attacks throughout Anbar, especially with suicide and car
bombs. This included incidents in Barwana in the Haditha district in the west,
around Ramadi, and Thar Thar in the northwest. The press reported 15 suicide
bombers were killed and 14 car bombs destroyed during this period.
The government was also active in Fallujah and Garma. In the
former, the renewed offensive there has appeared to stall once again. The joint
forces report insurgents being killed almost everyday south of the city, but no
real advances have been reported. The same can be said about Garma.
IS had not been able to set off a successful car bomb in the
capital province since the end of November, but three went off at the start of
January. On January 11 one went off in
a market in Naharawan, a town in the eastern section of the governorate killing
5 and wounding 12. More importantly, that same day IS launched an assault upon
the Jawhara Mall in New Baghdad
in the east. Two car bombs and three suicide bombers were used, and several
hostages were taken with three of them killed before the siege was ended. 18
people were left dead and another 50 injured in the aftermath. It was these
types of attacks that marked IS’s return in 2012-2013. It had not conducted any
after it switched to being a more conventional force and concentrated on taking
territory in 2014. Now IS is using these types of incidents to make up for the
fact that it is mostly on the defensive throughout Iraq.
Security
Incidents In Baghdad, Jan 8-14, 2016
Center:
5 – 1 Motorcycle Bomb dismantled, 1 Shooting/Robbery, 3 IEDs
East:
13 – 1 Kidnapping, 3 Sticky Bombs, 3 Car Bombs, 3 Suicide Bombers, 4 IEDs, 4
Shootings
North:
3 – 1 IED, 2 Shootings
Outer
North: 4 – 1 Kidnapping, 3 IEDs
South:
14 – 1 Kidnapping, 1 Shooting/Robbery, 1 Sticky Bomb, 5 Shootings, 6 IEDs
Outer
South: 5 – 1 Mortar, 1 Shooting, 3 IEDs
West:
7 – 1 Robbery, 1 Shooting/Robbery, 2 Shootings, 3 IEDs
Outer
West: 2 – 1 Mortar, 1 Shooting
IS carried out a similar operation in Diyala, which led to an
explosion of sectarian violence. January 11 an IED and a car
bomb went off at a café in Muqtadiya that killed 46 and wounded 55 more, many of which were
Hashd fighters. They in turn attacked the Sunni areas of the city destroying
homes, shops, and seven mosques. The Hashd in what many perceived to have been
a warning to the media to not cover the story also killed two reporters. That
succeeded as there was an almost total blackout on the story in the Iraqi media
at first. After the Hashd reprisals ended Prime Minister Haider Abadi went to
Diyala to meet with the Tigris Operations Command and demanded that the
perpetrators of the attacks be persecuted. Later Grand Ayatollah Sistani
condemned the violence as well. Nothing is likely to happen as Badr’s Hadi
Ameri runs the province, and his power was the likely reason that so few said
anything about the incident.
IS was very active in the rest of Diyala as well. For months there
had only been an average of 1 attack or less per day in the province. From
January 8-14 there were 22 incidents. That included another car bombing in
Khalis on January 12, and one that
was discovered and dismantled in Mandali the next day. IS
also carried out a huge number of harassing attacks mostly using IEDs. The
organization has mostly been using the province as a base for operations in
other parts of the country, but perhaps because of the loss of Ramadi, it
decided to carry out retaliatory attacks in Diyala.
Kirkuk has very few attacks, but witnessed a slew of dead bodies
showing up throughout the province at the start of the year. From January 1-7
eight bodies were found in various locations. Most were shot, but one man was
beheaded. Whether these were the result of local disputes, actions of IS or
other groups is unknown.
In Ninewa there was a large number of executions. The press reported
that IS killed 203 people during the week including 96 members of the ISF in
the Mosul and Qayara areas.
The group continued attacks upon the peshmerga in Ninewa as well,
but they appeared to be on the decline. There were assaults on Bashiqa, Kazar and Makhmour, and rocket fire
on a town in Sinjar, but they lacked
the intensity of previous weeks when IS was probing the Kurdish defenses up and
down the front in the province. Nothing was achieved, so therefore the
militants might be returning to simply harassing operations now.
IS was active up and down Salahaddin with major assaults in the
north at the end of the month. There were the usual number of IEDs and
shootings in the southern towns of Taji and Tarmiya. In the Ajeel oil field,
Baiji area, to the north of there in the Makhoul Mountains, and Tal Kasiba IS
launched 7 car bombs and 12 suicide bombers along with some intense infantry
attacks. It also made an attempt upon the
provincial security commander with a suicide car bomb. Again, these were likely
carried out to make up for the losses in Ramadi.
During the week there were a total of 36 vehicle borne improvised
explosive devices (VBIEDs). 8 were successful with the other 28 being destroyed
or dismantled. 79 people were killed and 134 wounded as a result. While the
vast majority of these were used in military operations in Anbar and
Salahaddin, four were used in the terrorist attacks in Baghdad and Diyala.
Violence In
Iraq By Week 2015-16
|
Date
|
Incidents
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
|
Jan 1-7
|
226
|
540
|
525
|
|
Jan 8-14
|
187
|
776
|
514
|
|
Jan 15-21
|
197
|
438
|
528
|
|
Jan 22-28
|
207
|
573
|
898 + 150
|
|
Jan 29-31
|
94
|
329
|
567
|
|
JAN
|
911
|
2,656
|
3,032 + 150
|
|
Feb 1-7
|
168
|
572
|
689
|
|
Feb 8-14
|
183
|
462
|
572
|
|
Feb 15-21
|
177
|
697
|
383
|
|
Feb 22-28
|
202
|
614
|
722
|
|
FEB
|
730
|
2,345
|
2,366
|
|
Mar 1-7
|
196
|
408
|
595
|
|
Mar 8-14
|
164
|
419
|
655
|
|
Mar 15-21
|
178
|
1,312
|
505
|
|
Mar 22-28
|
201
|
310
|
406
|
|
Mar 29-31
|
81
|
212 + 4
|
218 + 150
|
|
MAR
|
820
|
2,665
|
2,529
|
|
Apr 1-7
|
153
|
276
|
422
|
|
Apr 8-14
|
165
|
864
|
525
|
|
Apr 15-21
|
190
|
880
|
714
|
|
Apr 22-28
|
187
|
564
|
479
|
|
Apr 29-30
|
56
|
169
|
182 + 299
|
|
APR
|
751
|
2,753
|
2,621
|
|
May 1-7
|
176
|
651
|
448
|
|
May 8-14
|
167
|
450
|
542
|
|
May 15-21
|
149
|
996
|
390
|
|
May 22-28
|
131
|
362 +
1,499
|
344
|
|
May 29-31
|
49
|
87
|
164 + 646
|
|
MAY
|
672
|
2,546 + 1,499
|
1,888 + 646
|
|
Jun 1-7
|
155
|
534
|
475
|
|
Jun 8-14
|
146
|
649 + 405
|
389
|
|
Jun 15-21
|
153
|
403
|
373
|
|
Jun 22-28
|
182
|
366
|
474
|
|
Jun 29-30
|
66
|
126 + 22
|
189 + 106
|
|
JUN
|
702
|
2,100 + 405
|
2,006
|
|
Jul 1-7
|
161
|
435
|
719
|
|
Jul 8-14
|
140
|
384
|
570
|
|
Jul 15-21
|
109
|
359
|
597 +
4,024
|
|
Jul 22-28
|
145
|
527
|
590
|
|
Jul 29-31
|
53
|
193 + 260
|
203 + 400
|
|
JUL
|
608
|
2,158
|
3,079 + 4,024
|
|
Aug 1-7
|
154
|
650 + 760
|
298
|
|
Aug 8-14
|
133
|
756
|
640
|
|
Aug 15-21
|
135
|
345
|
354
|
|
Aug 22-28
|
136
|
342
|
296
|
|
Aug 29-31
|
59
|
112
|
169
|
|
AUG
|
617
|
2,205 + 760
|
1,757
|
|
Sep 1-7
|
139
|
285
|
352
|
|
Sep 8-14
|
144
|
368
|
394
|
|
Sep 15-21
|
123
|
323
|
488
|
|
Sep 22-28
|
128
|
190
|
258
|
|
Sep 29-30
|
39
|
106 + 19
|
147 + 8
|
|
SEP
|
573
|
1,291 + 314
|
1,647 + 3,003
|
|
Oct 1-7
|
120
|
337
|
398
|
|
Oct 8-14
|
144
|
254
|
389
|
|
Oct 15-21
|
142
|
208
|
279
|
|
Oct 22-28
|
129
|
216
|
366
|
|
Oct 29-31
|
49
|
110
|
116 + 1
|
|
OCT
|
584
|
1,124
|
1,549
|
|
Nov 1-7
|
125
|
186
|
316
|
|
Nov 8-14
|
121
|
265
|
354
|
|
Nov 15-21
|
140
|
358
|
420
|
|
Nov 22-28
|
107
|
289
|
261 + 124
+ 1,322
|
|
Nov 29-30
|
37
|
52 + 24
|
103 + 1
|
|
NOV
|
530
|
1,174
|
1,455 + 124 + 1,322
|
|
Dec 1-7
|
118
|
158
|
249
|
|
Dec 8-14
|
128
|
246
|
248
|
|
Dec 15-21
|
140
|
242
|
326 +
5,920
|
|
Dec 22-28
|
127
|
292
|
346
|
|
Dec 29-31
|
40
|
203 + 14
|
83
|
|
DEC
|
553
|
1,155
|
1,252 + 5,920
|
|
Jan 1-7
|
150
|
808
|
421
|
|
Jan 8-14
|
140
|
408
|
417
|
Security By
Province Jan 8-14, 2016
|
Province
|
Jan 8-14
|
|
Anbar
|
14
Incidents
10
Killed: 3 Sahwa, 7 ISF
46
Wounded: 7 Sahwa, 18 ISF, 21 Civilians
7
Shootings
2
Mortars
1
Rockets
15
Suicide Bombers Killed
5
Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
9
Car Bombs Destroyed
|
|
Babil
|
5
Incidents
9
Killed: 1 ISF, 8 Civilians
20
Wounded: 2 ISF, 18 Civilians
2
Shootings
3
IEDs
|
|
Baghdad
|
53
Incidents
80
Killed: 5 ISF, 75 Civilians
216
Wounded: 6 ISF, 210 Civilians
17
Shootings
23
IEDs
4
Sticky Bombs
3
Suicide Bombers
3
Car Bombs
2
Mortars
1
Motorcycle Bomb Dismantled
|
|
Babil
|
1
Incident
2
Wounded: 2 ISF
1
Grenade
|
|
Diyala
|
22
Incidents
56
Killed: 2 Hashd, 3 ISF, 51 Civilians
86
Wounded: 5 Hashd, 13 ISF, 68 Civilians
3
Shootings
17
IEDs
3
Sticky Bombs
1
Suicide Car Bomb
1
Car Bomb
2
Mortars
1
Car Bomb Dismantled
|
|
Irbil
|
1
Incident
1
Rockets
|
|
Kirkuk
|
2
Incidents
1
Killed: 1 Civilian
|
|
Ninewa
|
14
Incidents
214
Killed: 11 Peshmerga, 96 ISF, 107 Civilians
8
Shootings
1
IED
1
Rocket
|
|
Salahaddin
|
28
Incidents
28
Killed: 8 ISF, 15 Hashd, 15 Civilians
47
Wounded: 12 ISF, 14 Civilians, 21 Hashd
14
Shootings
5
IEDs
3
Suicide Car Bombs
2
Rockets
12
Suicide Bombers Killed
11
Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
2
Car Bombs
|
Car Bombs In
Iraq, January 2016
|
Date
|
Location
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
|
Jan 1
|
North of
Ramadi x4, Anbar
35 Kilo, Haditha & North of Ramadi,
Anbar – 11 destroyed
|
60
|
70
|
|
Jan 2
|
Albu Faraj, Anbar – 1 destroyed
|
||
|
Jan 3
|
Camp
Speicher x2, Slaahaddin
Barwana, Garma, Haditha Nazim & Ramadi,
Anbar – 46 destroyed
|
20
|
17
|
|
Jan 4
|
Outside
Haditha, Anbar
Wadi Horan, Anbar - 3 destroyed
Baya, Baghdad – 1 destroyed
|
11
|
30
|
|
Jan 5
|
Nikhaib x2
& Ramadi, Anbar
Barwana, Niamiya & Ramadi, Anbar – 13
destroyed
|
8
|
|
|
Jan 6
|
Ramadi, Anbar – 2 destroyed
|
||
|
Jan 7
|
|||
|
Totals
|
10 – 77 destroyed
|
99
|
117
|
|
Jan 8
|
Barwana, Anbar – 5 destroyed
|
||
|
Jan 9
|
|||
|
Jan 10
|
|||
|
Jan 11
|
Nahrawan
& New Baghdad x2, Baghdad
Muqtadiya,
Diyala
|
69
|
118
|
|
Jan 12
|
Khalis,
Diyala
Jazeera, Salahaddin – 8 destroyed
|
3
|
10
|
|
Jan 13
|
East of Ramadi & Jubba, Anbar – 9 destroyed
Mandali, Diyala – 1 destroyed
|
||
|
Jan 14
|
East &
Tal Kasiba x2, Salahaddin
Ajeel, Makhoul Mountains, Tal Kasiba,
Salahaddin – 5 destroyed
|
7
|
6
|
|
Totals
|
8 – 28 Destroyed
|
79
|
134
|
SOURCES
Adel,
Loaa, "Anti-Terrorism forces enter Sofiya area east of Ramadi," Iraqi
News, 1/13/16
-
"Media officials announce liberation of Anbar security department,"
Iraqi News, 1/11/16
-
"PMF foils ISIS attack in northern Salahuddin," Iraqi News, 1/14/16
-
"Security forces liberate majority of Sofiya, advance to Sijariya and Albu
Ghanem," Iraqi News, 1/14/16
Agence
France Presse, "Bombings at Iraq café kill 20: Officials," 1/11/16
-
"IS attack in Baghdad kills at least 12: officials," 1/11/16
AIN,
"17 Daash killed including bombers in thwart attack on Ajeel fields,"
1/14/16
-
"Diyala: dismantled an explosive device inside a car in Mandali,"
1/13/16
-
"Freed all the areas around Sufiya east Ramadi," 1/10/16
-
"ISF, PMU liberate Albu-Ghanm area, progress to center of Ramadi,"
8/2/15
Alsumaria,
"Commander Salahaddin operations survived a suicide bombing in east of
province," 1/14/16
Buratha
News, "Anti-terrorism forces regained control of all of Barwana
area," 1/4/16
-
"Security forces enter four regions of eastern Ramadi as part of
liberation operation," 12/31/15
-
"Security forces repel a massagive Daash offensive west of Tikrit killign
25 fighters," 1/12/16
Cunningham,
Erin and Salim, Mustafa, "Militants mount deadly mall attack in
Baghdad," Washington Post, 1/11/16
Al
Forat, "7 Daash killed including car bombs and vehicles in Makhoul,"
1/14/16
-
"Cleared Albu Soda area east of Ramadi and raised the Iraqi flag,"
1/14/16
-
"Military advance towards East Husaiba to clear Daash," 1/13/16
-
"Start of a military operation to purge western Barwana region," 1/9/16
Hussein,
Mohammed, Mohammed, Araz, Ali, Amir, "After battlefield defeats, IS hits
softer targets," Iraq Oil Report, 1/12/16
Independent
Press Agency, "Anti-terrorism unit announces full control of the center of
Ramadi," 1/9/16
Al
Mada, "40th Street cleared in east Ramadi killing dozens of Daash,"
1/14/16
-
"Anbar operations: Purged regions and killed dozens of Daash south of
Fallujah," 1/11/16
-
"Cleared two near areas north of Ramadi, killing dozens of Daash
militants," 12/27/15
-
"Clearing all the areas in central Ramadi, killing dozens of Daash,"
1/3/16
-
"Death and injury of 11 members of the joint forces in Alam and police
imposed a curfew," 1/14/15
-
"Killing 6 Daash members north of Mosul," 1/14/16
-
"Killing and wounding 10 members of the security forces in the New Baghdad
attacks," 1/11/16
Mamoun,
Abdelhak, "5 civilians killed in double bombing east of Baghdad,"
1/11/16
-
"16 ISIS elements killed, 700 families besieged east of Ramadi,"
Iraqi News, 1/13/16
Al
Masalah, "Freed Anbar Electricity Department," 1/11/16
-
"Freed Marif College east Ramadi," 1/9/16
NINA,
"/6/ Vehicles for the enemy destroyed and two tankers addressed,"
1/14/16
-
"/11/ elements of the Peshmerga forces killed in rocket bombing by Daash
organization northwest of Mosul," 1/14/16
-
"Albu Atha Area Freed From Daash, Dozens Terrorists Killed," 8/21/15
-
"Anti-terrorism device enters al-Sufiya area in Ramadi," 1/7/16
-
"The Liberate of the occupied areas in Barwana from the control of Daash
terrorists," 1/8/16
-
"Peshmerga foiled an attack by Daash southeast of Mosul," 1/14/16
-
"Ramadi General Hospital, 50% of Albu Ghannam Region Freed," 8/3/15
-
"Security Forces Call On People Of Sufiah And Sajaria Regions To Leave
Their Areas," 1/11/16
Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "At Least 18 Killed, As Gunmen Attack Baghdad
Mall," 1/11/16
Rudaw,
"Iraqi army reports more gains against ISIS," 1/4/16
Salaheddin,
Sinan, "Iraqi PM vows to rout IS after mall bombing, mosque attacks,"
Associated Press, 1/12/16
Sarhan,
Amre, "Security forces fully liberate al-Mallab in southern Ramadi,"
Iraqi News, 1/8/16
Shafaq
News, "Spokesman of operations: Security forces reach two areas near
Ramadi," 10/6/15
Sotaliraq,
"Anbar operations command declres the liberation of all of Albu Aetha
northeast of Ramadi," 1/13/16
-
"Diyala Health: final outcome of the bombings in Muqdadiyah reached 85
people dead and wounded," 1/12/16
-
"Gaood announced repelling a Daash attack upon Barwana," 1/8/16
-
"Killing 16 Daash members east of Ramadi and help 700 families flee
organization," 1/13/16
-
"Peshmerga announce the killing of a number of Daash in repelling an
attack on their positions," 1/9/16
-
"Security forces liberated Sura area east of Ramadi," 1/14/16
Xinhua,
"Security forces regain new ground from IS in Iraq's Ramadi," 1/13/16
-
"Suicide bomb attack kills 3 in Iraq's Diyala," 1/12/16
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